Soil testing : article
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension agronomist Wayne Flanary says 2025 likely will be a year when corn producers need to batten down the hatches to offset low sale prices and high input costs.
Farmers may save on fertilizer in 2025 by reducing phosphorus, potassium, or lime on medium- to high-testing soils without lowering yields.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Ashes produced by wood-burning fireplaces or stoves are an excellent example of the idiom “don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater,” says University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – More farmers are looking at a practice long frowned upon: planting back-to-back soybean.Don’t do it, says University of Missouri Extension soybean specialist Bill Wiebold. Expect lower yields and higher erosion if you don’t rotate soybean with corn. Risk of disease, insects and…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Not all topsoil is created equal.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Sensor-guided nitrogen application can save corn producers money and increase yields, says Peter Scharf, University of Missouri Extension soil scientist.
Free wood ashes boost calcium, phosphorus and potassium, helping raise garden soil pH safely—avoid ashes from cardboard, trash, coal or treated wood.
Test your garden soil before adding fertilizer to avoid waste, nutrient imbalance, and poor plant growth.
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. – After spring planting, farmers often put soil fertility on the back burner to concentrate on protecting crops from insects, diseases and weeds. This can be a costly mistake, said a University of Missouri Extension agronomy specialist.
Plan and grow a home orchard by choosing the right fruit plants, considering pollination, soil, and disease resistance.
The success of next year’s garden is influenced greatly by fall cleanup. Garden cleanup does more than just improve the appearance of the garden during the mundane, lifeless months of winter. It reduces the amount of disease inoculum and insect infestation that might remain.
STOCKTON, Mo. – Add legumes to grazing pastures to improve cow performance, soil health and forage production, says Patrick Davis, University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist in Cedar County.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – If a little is good, a lot must be better.
Learn how simple diagnostic tools and soil management practices can improve crop health, increase yields, and optimize harvest decisions.
Ensure healthy lawns and gardens by choosing topsoil with the right texture, pH, and organic matter for optimal plant growth.
ST. PETERS, Mo. – A high tunnel workshop will be held 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24, at the University of Missouri Extension Center in St. Charles County, 260 Brown Road, St. Peters.
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. - While the harvest of corn and soybean is underway, perennial crops such as alfalfa begin the cold-hardening process. Producers can increase the ability of plants to withstand cold temperatures by implementing several key strategies, said a University of Missouri Extension…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Soil tests can save farmers thousands of dollars, says Manjula Nathan, director of the University of Missouri Soil and Plant Testing Laboratory.
Rainfall affects hay quality, yield, and digestibility. Learn when rained-on hay can still be useful and why testing is important.
Learn why legumes like clover improve forage, boost nitrogen, balance pH, and support soil test recommendations.
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. – If you’ve sent a pasture or hay soil test through your University of Missouri Extension Center, you’ve been asked what kind of forage you have.
COLUMBIA, Mo.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Longtime University of Missouri researcher Tim Reinbott will speak on soil health and its increasingly important role during drought at the 2025 Missouri Crop Management Conference, Dec. 9-10 in Columbia.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Farmers understand fertilizer prices fluctuate with time.
GALENA, Mo. – If there was ever a time to do a soil test, this is it, says University of Missouri Extension agronomist Tim Schnakenberg.
Rising fertilizer prices make it too expensive to guess on how to apply nutrients, says Schnakenberg.
TUSCUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension will hold a free virtual workshop on “Understanding Your Soil Needs” 5:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11.
Farmers get guidance and cost-share help to convert cropland to pasture using rotational grazing and conservation practices.
COLUMBIA, Mo.— The University of Missouri has received a Conservation Innovation Grant from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to fund a three-year study of nutrient management.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – For now, the University of Missouri Soil and Plant Testing Laboratory remains open.
LINNEUS, Mo.– Heavy rainfall throughout much of Missouri on July 2 may have lessened worries about drought damage in pastures, but one good rain won’t undo the damage to mismanaged pastures during two straight years of drought, according to two University of Missouri Extension specialists based at…
Rising potash prices make proper application more critical than ever. Learn why soil tests and nutrient balance matter to sustain high yields.
Registration is open for the MU Extension Master Gardener online spring 2026 course. The 15-week class runs Jan. 2-April 27. The online core training is designed to provide in-depth horticultural knowledge. The course includes presentations and weekly discussion forums.
Learn how soil testing can help farmers apply fertilizer more precisely, cut costs and protect the environment.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The second annual Mid-Mo Expo for backyard gardeners and small farmers offers presentations and demonstrations to improve productivity and profits.
PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. – When fertilizer was cheap, it made sense for farmers to be generous with nitrogen. With today’s prices, producers want to keep fertilizer costs down without reducing yield.
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. - On a per-acre basis, home lawns affect streams, rivers and lakes more than most farming operations, said a University of Missouri Extension horticulture specialist. However, homeowners can be more environmentally responsible by managing stormwater runoff and using proper lawn…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Submitting soil samples to your local University of Missouri Extension center is easy, says Manjula Nathan, director of the MU Soil and Plant Testing Laboratory.
COLUMBIA, Mo.– Many garden and home-improvement stores offer a seemingly endless selection of fertilizers.
Overwatering and excessive care can harm your garden. Learn how to strike the right balance for healthy plants and a thriving landscape.
NEVADA, Mo. – “I brought it up to test.” University of Missouri Extension agronomist Pat Miller often hears that when farmers talk about crop fertilizer applications.
“I do not think it means what you think it means,” Miller says, quoting the movie “The Princess Bride.”
Volunteers help track water clarity and nutrients in Missouri’s lakes, providing vital data to protect ecosystems and local communities.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The yellow leaves on corn plants means one thing. Nitrogen fertilizer applied last fall or early this spring is gone. It washed deep into the soil, beyond reach of the young roots.